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2014 MINI Cooper Automatic: Quick Drive

The all-new, third-generation 2014 MINI Cooper three-door hatchback--now called "Hardtop" by MINI--sports a longer nose, a new 1.5-liter three-cylinder engine, and an interior that at last cleans up some of the disastrous ergonomics of the previous cars.

Specifically, the round display in the center of the dashboard is now solely a display screen, with proper instruments at last in a conventional cluster behind the steering wheel.

We were looking forward to driving this latest MINI Cooper, but were startled to learn that the test car available last month at a drive day at the scenic Bear Mountain State Park in New York was one of the very first automatic-transmission models to be imported.

Visually, the long nose is glaringly obvious from some angles, only slightly obtrusive from others. It's a shame, but it's also a requirement of modern crash-safety requirements, including European rules about pedestrian safety if the car hits a person in the street whose head then hits the hood.

The new engine is a 134-horsepower 1.5-liter three-cylinder engine with a twin-scroll turbo, driving the front wheels in our car through a six-speed Aisin automatic transmission with paddle shifters behind the wheel.

We would have preferred the standard Getrag six-speed manual gearbox, and we hope to drive such a car later this year.

The MINI offers three drive modes, as do most BMW products these days: the default Mid mode, a Green mode that dials down power and shift points for better fuel efficiency, and a Sport mode that dials them up in the other direction for fastest driving response.

We're glad the MINI rep pointed out how to change them, though: It's via a rotating ring around the base of the shift lever. It's a neat touch, but definitely non-obvious.

Upright, narrow

The MINI remains a large minicar or small subcompact, and it has the most upright windshield we've seen on any 2014 model short of a Jeep Wrangler.

That gives it character, but it does reinforce the smallness of the cabin. There's enough room in front for two U.S.-sized adults, but the MINI remains a narrow car--although all the glass is slightly further away than in earlier generations.

Headroom is generous even with the large panoramic moonroof installed--it lightens the cabin, of course--and the seat can be adjusted to reduce the "sitting in a bathtub" feel and get a proper sitting-up driving position.